Musings of a mad old bat

What a lovely day I've had! I've spent the entire day in the yard doing nothing but drinking coffee/alcohol and reading a book. I can't remember the last time I spent the entire day sitting in the sun reading!

It's been really warm in the sun, but not too hot; there was a brilliantly blue sky, with those teeny fluffy clouds which disappear to nothing, and a gentle breeze to stop it all getting too hot. It was so lovelysitting out there all day!

I had quite a few jobs I could have been getting on with out there, but after a good night's sleep for once, I just felt that I'd like to relax in the sun, like a cat. They all spent most of the day out there with me, too.

I got John to put up a bracket on the west-facing wall, which gets sunshine for a lot of the day and planted a hanging basket with my tomato seedlings; they are a special kind of cherry tomato which likes growing in hanging baskets. If they thrive, I rather fancy having a riot of tiny tomatoes hangingdown; they would look really ornamental, and I could just reach out and pluck a couple to have with my lunchtime sandwich! We'll see!!

I had to keep inspecting the white rosebud which is threatening to burst into bloom, and the red carnation as well, but it didn't make them inclined to flower any sooner.

The only downer I've had today is finding that the slugs'n'snails had been feasting on my clematis, which has made me rethink the position I'm going to put it in. For some reason or other that particular planter seems to be a magnet for the horrid slimy little things and this will be the fourth year they've ruined the stuff in that trough if I plant the clematis there.The only trouble is that that is where I stupidly put the trellis up. I've tried sweet peas two years running, which were eaten before they even came out, I tried runner beans and the same thing happenedand this year they've already eaten chunks of clematis flower and a whole bud which hadn't even opened yet, leaving just a frill of petal around the stamens and pistils.And I haven't even transplanted it yet, it's still in its original pot! I think I might go and get another of the lovely cheap large pots I got for the dwarf acer, and rig up some bamboo sticks for it to twine around until I decide finally what to do. I wouldn't mind so much if I hadn't spent a fortune on copper strip to go round the top and the bottom of the trough, hoping it would deter the horrible little slimies!

The Morning Glory seeds I planted a few days agohave pushed their way into the daylight and will be ready to plant out soon. I shall have to find something for them to climb up, too. I would really like to get another half-tub, but I don't really have room for it. I shall have to think carefully about all this.

I still have my dreadful sore throat; I've had it for three days now, but it hasn't developed into cold or flu or anything; it just feels as though someone has cut my throat inside.